Highland Township teen to serve at least 21 years in prison for rape of girl

The Oakland Press/
Vaughn Gurganian
Brandon Markes, of Highland Township, looks toward family members moments before being sentenced to more than 21 years for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Oakland County Circuit Court.

Thirty seconds was the difference in whether a young girl survived a “nightmarish” rape at knife point, said family members of the victim, whose attacker was sentenced to up to 99 years in prison Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court.

The Highland Township teen who pleaded no contest to the assault, 17-year-old Brandon Markes, stood silent as the victim’s mother addressed the court. He was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years and nine months by Oakland County Circuit Judge Michael Warren.

“This attack was premeditated — he had a plan,” said the mother of the 15-year-old victim, who will not be named in order to protect her identity.

“Thirty seconds is the time she had left to live before he let her go. He approached her while she was alone ... raped her at knife point and almost choked her to death while she begged for her life.

“He had intent to kill my daughter, and I ask that he be punished to the full extent of the law.”

Before sentencing the Highland teen, Warren said 30 seconds also was the difference in whether Markes would be spending life in prison.

Markes was originally charged as an adult with strangulation, felony assault, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and assault with intent to murder. Prosecutors argued that Markes in April lured the 15-year-old girl into a wooded area behind his family’s mobile home park in Highland — where the girl also lived — and sexually assaulted, strangled and held a knife to her.

The latter charge was dropped when Markes entered into a Cobbs representation, akin to a plea deal, with the court. Warren said the justification of the deal was largely because the court didn’t want to re-traumatize the victim.

Warren also sentenced Markes to 6-10 years on the strangulation assault charge, and 2-4 years on the felonious assault.

Markes said only that he wished his family and the family of the victim well.

“I apologize for the problems that have been brought to both families,” he said.

Warren said he decided on the sentence, which was two years below maximum guidelines, because he does believe in rehabilitation, but repeated a long list of adjectives, including “malicious, uncivilized, brutal, rotten, barbaric,” and more, to describe the kind of attack Markes carried out.

Warren added that Markes has a long history of brushes with the law, including a malicious destruction of property charge in 2012, other cases in 2011, and a history of substance abuse.

Both the victim’s and Markes’ families were in the courtroom and were visibly distraught. Following the sentencing, Markes looked to his family and told them he loved them.

More details were brought to light during the victim’s family’s statement. The mother said her daughter had panic attacks, nightmares, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, and had emotional and physical reminders of the attack — at home and at school, where she was teased “for being the girl that got raped.”

After the attack, added the victim’s sister, the young girl confided that Markes was a good friend before the attack, but “friends are not supposed to attack you in the throat and try to kill you,” she wrote in a letter. She said she has had trouble making friends in her new home as a result.

Eventually, the community became involved, and many residents didn’t believe her, and blamed her, said the mother. It was so bad that the girl said she didn’t feel safe in Highland, and moved in with grandparents who live out-of-state, the mother added.

With tears in their eyes, members of both families walked out of the courtroom to grieve.

The victim’s aunt, Julie Poole, 49, who lives in North Carolina, said she’s relieved the family can begin to move on, but she’s devastated that her niece’s life has been turned upside down — she’ll have to live with the memory for the rest of her life, and Markes will eventually get out of prison, she added.
“Nobody deserves this,” she said.

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About the Author

John Turk covers the police beat and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for The Oakland Press. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. Reach the author at john.turk@oakpress.com
or follow John on Twitter: @jrturk.